The Track Star Podcast

On this week’s episode of The Track Star Podcast we have rock writer, NPR critic, and journalism professor Tim Riley who will help answer the deceptively complex question: is there any artist truly better than the Beatles?

We’ll discuss the musicians that inspired the Beatles themselves, and who left a historical and cultural mark similar to the legendary four. From the Rolling Stones to Miles Davis and Dolly Parton, we touch a wide range of musical talent that coincide with one another in lyricism, rock n’ roll ethics, and performance capabilities. 

The conversation also prompts more pointed topics such as Keith Richard’s vs. John Lennon’s guitar playing, Bob Dylan’s lyrical curiosity, and whether covers by icons like Aretha Franklin might actually surpass the original Beatles version.

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast every Wednesday.

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer joins The Track Star Podcast for a conversation that moves from Motown to modern Detroit, using music as a way into the state she represents.

Through artists like Madonna, Aretha Franklin, and Eminem, Whitmer reflects on growing up in Michigan, the state’s deep musical lineage, and how Detroit became a global center for sound, from the Motown assembly line to rock and hip-hop.

The conversation also opens up into something broader: how listening shapes leadership, why asking questions matters more than having answers, and how the small, often invisible systems of everyday life, from roads to water to schools, shape whether people have the space to create at all.

Listen to this episode’s extended playlist: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast every Wednesday.

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann joins The Track Star Podcast to talk about Elvis Presley and what made his music and live performances so powerful. Using songs from the new concert film Elvis: The King in Concert, Baz and Jack explore what made Elvis a singular entertainer, from the raw power of “Polk Salad Annie” to the emotional weight of songs like “In the Ghetto.” 

The conversation traces Elvis’s upbringing in the American South, the unlikely path that led him from Hollywood movie star to Las Vegas showman, and why the physicality of his performances, his voice, his body, and his connection to the band and the audience still feels unmatched. Along the way, Baz explains how lost archival footage, recovered audio recordings, and modern restoration techniques helped bring Elvis’s performances back to life.

Listen to this episode’s extended playlist: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast every Wednesday.

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

Academy Award–winning filmmaker Morgan Neville joins The Track Star Podcast for a deep dive into Paul McCartney’s most misunderstood era: the decade after the Beatles’ breakup.

Centered around McCartney, Ram, and the rise of Wings, the conversation traces how Paul rebuilt his identity after the collapse of the biggest band in history, examining the backlash he faced in the early ’70s, Linda’s role in shaping the sound of Wings, and why albums once dismissed by critics are now seen as some of his most inventive work.

Neville also reflects on the making of his documentary Man on the Run, what it was like conducting intimate audio-only interviews with Paul, and how archival footage and handmade animation helped reframe a period long overshadowed by Beatlemania.

Listen to this episode’s extended playlist: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast every Wednesday.

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]

Two of the best-performing Track Star contestants of all time return to settle a big question: Is Gen X the greatest music generation ever? Writer, comedian, and self-described “man about town” Robert George and New York City SoulCycle instructor Sue Molnar join Jack for a wide-ranging conversation about growing up with radio, MTV, and a musical landscape that fractured into punk, new wave, hip-hop, industrial, and grunge all at once.

Through artists like Blondie, Prince, and Nirvana, the episode traces a shared musical world of radio countdowns (Casey Kasem and American Top 40), MTV premieres, and albums meant to be heard from front to back.

The conversation moves easily between personal memory and cultural history, returning to the idea that Gen X didn’t just inherit great music, but learned how to listen across styles and scenes at a moment when everything still lived together on the same dial, before music became fully on-demand.

Listen to this episode’s extended playlist: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast drop every Wednesday.

[Video available on Spotify and YouTube]